(Mingle Log/Open Prompts) found

[holidaygirl1225]

WHO: Noelle, clinic staff, and you!
WHAT: Mingle logs after the rescue & opportunities to visit Noelle while she's recovering
WHEN: After the conclusion of the 'Flight and Freeze' quest, through late October
WHERE: Bottlecap Bay Clinic
WARNINGS: Hospitalization/emergency departments, recovery from severe injury, comas, themes of depression & disassociation. Any spoilers for Deltarune will be marked.

After being found, Noelle was thawed by resident Fire-types and teleported by a helpful Abra to the clinic in Bottlecap Bay. An expert in emergency medicine- an Audino referred to as Dr. Dino- and her team immediately took Noelle into the back of the clinic and didn't come out for what seemed to be hours.

and your future lost its rights

When Dr. Dino finally emerges into the general waiting room, she announces tiredly that Noelle is likely to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, the Deerling in question is comatose doesn't seem likely to wake up for a while. She might be ready to visit soon, but for now, she needs careful monitoring.

1. Shortly Thereafter (Open; Mingle Log)

A. A nurse Chansey prepares some hot drinks for anyone who was waiting to hear if Noelle would be okay-- especially those who were in Icefall Lake. Feel free to rest here and decompress a bit before returning home.

B. Dr. Dino offers to take a look at any characters who were injured during the rescue operation. If your character works at the Clinic, maybe you're the one treating the injured instead to give Dr. Dino a break.

[ooc; Feel free to interact with each other in either prompt. The only limitation is that Dr. Dino requests you avoid Noelle's room for now.]

2. A Few Weeks Later (Open)

Noelle remains asleep, but Dr. Dino has declared her able to receive visitors. If you enter the room where she's resting, you'll find her curled up on a little cot and heavily bandaged. It seems she sustained several injuries from her rampage, both from being attacked and using high-power moves to attack others without training properly first. Every so often, Chansey will check her vitals and/or change her bandages.

In the corner, some gifts and 'get well soon' notes have piled up for her. If you want, you may leave something for her as well. You can also sit by her bedside and keep her company. If you talk to her, maybe she'll hear you?

At the moment you're visiting, Noelle looks...

A. Serene. Angelic, even. If it weren't for the bandaging, you might think she's just having an afternoon nap. She emits a faint peppermint scent, as always-- is that from the flower on her head, or is it just her?

B. Troubled. Her ears are down, pressed flat against her head. The flower on her head looks like it's trying to close up. Every so often, she makes a whimper or gives a faint kick to her leg as if she's trying to run. If you listen closely- very, very closely- you might hear her mutter something in her sleep. Maybe it's 'Dess'... maybe it's 'Kris'... maybe it's your name, if you were very close.

[ooc; Noelle will not wake up during threads responding to this prompt. If your character talks to her, she may or may not remember what's said to her. You can also leave a gift or a letter for Noelle if you'd like. Two or more people can visit Noelle in the same thread if you'd like this to be a mingle log as well.]

3. Approaching All Hallows' Eve (set in late October; Open unless marked)

Noelle awakened on her own. It's almost as if she waited for everyone to leave before opening her eyes. The rumor is that she sat straight up, staring intently at something nobody else could see.

Soon, word gets out that Noelle is awake. Dr. Dino wants to keep her in the clinic a bit longer to keep an eye on her, and as it turns out, Noelle struggles to walk on her own. When Dr. Dino isn't helping other patients, she helps Noelle walk around her room so she can stretch, sometimes. Chansey guards her room, both to protect her from anyone who would wish her harm (there are quite a few she fought with, after all) and to stop her from running away again.

Despite the fact that Noelle is awake, she's less accessible than before. Apparently, she doesn't want to see anyone. She seems deeply ashamed of her outburst, and aside from that, there's a fog of melancholy that weighs her down.

A. Whether you sneak in, muscle your way past Chansey, or find some other method, you get into Noelle's room without permission. She's visibly shocked to see you, but doesn't try to call for help or kick you out-- just blithely accepting whatever you plan to do.

B. (Closed except for Bigby, Kinger, Tenna, Umemiya, and Ren. NOT mandatory-- just the approved list.) If you wish to visit her and Noelle considered you a friend, she'll let you in. Sorry, Shoka and Kris, neither of you are on the list for some reason...?

With that said, she's quiet when you enter, almost giving the vibe of a broken doll. The curtains are drawn and she's still curled in on herself, only glancing at you furitively from the corner of her eye.

C. (Closed except for medical staff/helpers at the clinic.) Chansey allows you in, but you're being watched, just in case. Noelle doesn't regard you, allowing you to do whatever you came here to do.

4. Wildcard

[Feel free to discuss another prompt with me at friendlyflower, ask me for my Discord, or inbox me here. Additionally, feel free to flip me to brackets style for any of these and I'll match you.]

Comments

3B (others can tag in to 2A/B!!)

[holidaygirl1225]

[Two weird things Bigby might notice:

1. Chansey almost doesn't let him in-- but then double-checks the list and seems to spot his name. It almost seems like Noelle only added him to the 'approved' list last-minute.

2. The burnt/misshapen cookies are uneaten, but in the container by her side. It almost seems like they're some kind of safety blanket.]

No, I... don't have much of an appetite, fahaha. But they're nostalgic. I really like them. When I was little, Kris and I--

[The mention makes the smile drop right from her face. She looks like she just bit something sour.]

-- would make gingerbread monsters and humans. Anyway.

[She lets him place the box nearby. The new cookies are much prettier, but less personal, somehow.]

... Th-thanks, Mr. Bigby. [He didn't like being called 'Mister', did he? But it feels too personal to refer to him without the title, especially after what she did.] I hope you're, um, doing okay.

[wolfcut]

[ Even while focused on Noelle, he can feel Chansey’s eyes on him. Nothing he’s not used to, but it’s a reminder, nonetheless. With so many check-ups under his belt, his reputation already precedes him around here. Reckless, borderline dangerous — the nurse was right to question how his name wound up on the list to begin with.

New box set aside, he can't help but glance at the old one close by her. The cookies look even more pitiable than he remembered. Good thing they can't come to life around here. ]

Tired, but fine. [ Stilted. He doesn't correct her on the formalities this time. ] We're all glad you're doing better.

[ His ears flick as silence follows. At some point, Chansey clears her throat quietly behind him before he awkwardly rubs his cheek. He still has too much to say, but none of it manages to come out. Again, he looks at the cookies. ]

I, uh. I've never made those before, if you can believe it. Didn't have a lot of holiday traditions to practice...

[ He's assuming that's what her story was about, and why her expression soured so quickly at bringing it up. Kris, that weird little dragon helping lead the search... Someone from home, then. A reminder, maybe, of an easier time. Before someone else got sick. Before somone else went missing. He speaks on none of it. ]

But why gingerbread monsters?

[holidaygirl1225]

["We're all glad you're doing better," he said. Except for everyone she hurt, she imagines. Except for herself. If she could have slept forever, locked in a little snowglobe where she couldn't hurt anyone or be hurt again...

... she's not surprised it was his first time making gingerbread cookies. Normally, she might be shocked at his lack of Christmas joy. There are bigger things on her mind, now.]

Oh, I must not have told you... sorry. I keep forgetting we're not as common in other worlds as the one I came from, haha.

... I was a monster before I came here. Kris was the only human in town, actually. I looked kind of like this, actually, but bipedal. And I wore clothes and went to school and stuff. Not like a monster from a video game.

[Though she's acted pretty monstrous.]

We had cookie cutters for monsters with antlers and horns and all sorts of other shapes. My dad used the werewolf cookie cutter a lot because it was the biggest one, so he'd get the biggest cookie, fahaha. And it would annoy my mom, who only liked the pretty ones.

[And the heart shapes, for some reason.]

[wolfcut]

[ There's a subtle shift in his expression. A realization, maybe, with the way his brows knit together. He never did ask, did he? Just ran with whatever assumption he thought fit best at the time. An ordinary mundy girl saddled with grief too young, who only wants to help. Such a simple story to tell.

But he knows better. No story is ever that simple. ]

Uncommon, but not unheard of. [ Even if her defintion of a monster is different than his. ] Guess we're more similar than I thought.

[ There's that line again, one he'd never thought he'd cross while stuck here, let alone twice in one month. The Homelands. Magic. Talking animals. All things he's mentioned in passing to some, but to talk about what he is? He wanted to keep that unfamiliar territory for a reason, but much like with Agnes, he feels compelled, if only out of recognition. ]

Kind of agree with your dad on that one. The bigger, the better. [ Or badder, in some cases. The thought of a gingerbread werewolf does get the softest of smiles out of him. ] Must've been fun to make those together. It'd be... hard not to miss.

[holidaygirl1225]

O-oh, you too? [She perks up a little. If she could talk to one other person from her world... besides them...] Y-you probably weren't a hamster-like monster, though, huh? You must miss your old form even more than I miss mine... haha.

['Hard not to miss'... she nods, glancing at the gingerbread cookies again. Even just the smell- tinged with a smokey burnt scent as they are- brings her back. When she was young, she was too afraid to eat them. What if they were alive, like in a storybook?

... She's not afraid anymore. Just not hungry.]

Yeah... it was one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Though my dad would say every part was my favorite, fahaha. When that gingerbread scent filled the air, and we'd all gather around decorating them together, and Kris--

[... would be either making a horrific creation or squirting frosting directly in their mouth...]

-- anyway, it felt magical.

[Noelle isn't sure why she's still talking, but she is. Maybe she just doesn't want to think about Kris right now.] I think I told you, actually, when we first spoke over the Grumpearl thing. My dad was sick, and I was hoping he'd feel better before Christmas so we could do all the fun holiday stuff again. But I guess, well...

[... that won't happen. Now she's bedridden, too.]

... maybe next year. [She doesn't sound convinced.]

[wolfcut]

That's— ... yeah. [ Her question weighs heavier than she might initially realize. ] But even back home, I wasn't really myself either. I made people too... [ He glances back at Chansey briefly before shaking his head. ] I'd just stick out too much in a big city.

[ It doesn't matter. He's fully focused on her, on her story, until his nose twitches involuntarily. Again, this Kris. Their determination during the search must have meant something, but seeing Noelle’s reaction to even saying their name must mean something too. He can’t help but mentally peek down that rabbit hole, if only just for a moment.

But that’s not important right now. ]

Mm. I remember. I don’t think you said it was your dad, but. [ He figured it must have been someone close like that. His head lowers, paw in paw. The lack of conviction in her voice just makes his ears droop. Every moment spent here is just more time she possibly won't get back, and there's nothing for him to say to lessen that sort of loss. ] I'm sure he'd still want you to find something fun for you to do while you're here, until next year.

[ It feels so hollow. Silence fills the air between them as that sinking feeling resurfaces. He shouldn't be here. There's better people for this. ]

Noelle. [ Suddenly, he lifts his head again, voice quiet. ] Why was I on your visitors list? I thought we weren't... [ Why is it so hard to say? ]

cw murder, implied suicidal ideation

[holidaygirl1225]

[A long pause follows. It's cold in this room, he might realize. Colder than the rest of the clinic. Even Chansey seems to have started shivering.

(Thoughts swirl in her mind, so many of them that they blind her like a blizzard. She wants to apologize. She wants to tell him that she didn't mean to torment him.)

Finally, she stares him directly in the eye for the first time.]

Would you have killed me?

[His eyes red, his fangs bared, starving.]

cw implied murder

[wolfcut]

[ Bigby sees his breath before he can feel it. This body wasn't made to withstand the cold. It seeps down into him easily. He wraps his arms around himself, shivering, unable to do anything but take the brunt of it. ]

I... [ Her eyes catch his. They go wide, like a deer in the headlights, only for him to avert his gaze altogether. ] Worse.

[ He can't deny it. He's a lot of things, but unfortunately, a liar isn't one of them. ]

I'm not a good person. Just some monster pretending I can be. [ Words echo in the back of his mind. You're not as bad as everyone says you are. What a load of shit. At least back home he had the excuse of being backed into a corner by people who needed him out of the way. Here, he just let his pent up rage and hunger boil over for what? Being made someone else's fool? As if he didn't live his life playing the lap dog now anyway. ] Are you... angry, Noelle?

[ Not scared, not upset, not sad — angry. ]

[holidaygirl1225]

[Angry.

She's not good at feeling angry. Kris would prank her; she'd laugh it off. Her mom would yell at her; she'd pray for her mom to find peace. Berdly would copy her homework answers; she'd rationalize he just needed the help.

And so when she ran away, when she fought and left so many places and Pokemon torn up by her attacks... it was like all that anger was coming out for the first time, all at once.

If she had been able to feel really, truly angry like Bigby had before she ever came here, would she have been able to stop Kris?

... it's too late now. Maybe she should feel angry. Bigby was going to kill her, after all.

But instead, she gets up from her cot. Chansey says some type of warning, but Noelle ignores it. She stumbles toward Bigby on shaky legs.

Without arms, she can't embrace him. Instead, she leans close and nuzzles him, not giving him any chance to back away.

She's smiling. Tears are rolling down her face and onto his fur. She's... she's so happy.

He's a monster, in more ways than one. And that means...]

... I'm not the only one.

[A strange laugh escapes her. Nurse Chansey remains standing in the room, not sure if she should intervene.]

wrapped for the holidays 🎁

[wolfcut]

[ Silence. The grip on his arms grows tighter. Did he expect anything else? Did he think this would be any different? His head hangs low, pained expression hidden from view. The chill in the room is all he can feel at this point, and yet he can't bring himself to move — can't even bring himself to look — because he already knows the answer.

Angry. Of course she's angry, and it doesn't even start with him. When the world takes and takes and takes, all you can do is be angry. She buries it well, so much better than he ever could, but he knows that desire to hurt better than anyone. An angel of destruction. The unrepentant lord of monsters. If only he had recognized it sooner, if only he had tried harder to control himself, then maybe—

Suddenly, Chansey's voice calls out. His head jolts up, body tensing at seeing her up and moving closer. ]

Noelle, you shouldn't—

[ He can't walk away. Not this time. When she nuzzles against him, face wet with tears, his heart starts to race, breath shaky, uncertain, afraid. He can't trust himself, not after what happened, but then she finally breaks her silence: I'm not the only one.

Slowly, carefully, he wraps his arms around her, feeling a rush of warmth from the embrace. It's comforting and overwhelming all at once, more than he can almost bear. A lone wolf in the wild knows better than to show himself so openly. There's no chance of survival in letting the emotions well up into tears, even if only a few manage to fall.

But he's not alone anymore. ]